Bafael mabtinez



(No Model.) i

R. MARTINEZ.

MAT 0R RBMOVABLE FLOOR GOVBRING.

'No'. 281,540; Patented July-17, 1.883,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. y

RAFAEL MARTINEZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO EMIL GUTMANN AND HENRYGOODMAN,

BOTH OF SAME PLAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,540, dated July1'7, 1883.

Application filed May 5, 1883. (No model.)

New York, have invented certain new and,

5 useful' Improvements in Mats or Removable Floor-Coverings, of whichthe following is a;A

specification.

My improved mat is composed of parallel rods of wood or other cheap anddurable material, secured together by flexible connections, which allowthe mat to be rolled and other- Wise bent in taking up and putting down,cleaning, &c. Mats of this general character have been long known andare much approved.

I have devised improved means of connecting the rods whereby themanufacture is facilitated. Mats constructed according to myinventionpossess sufficient flexibility, and are eminently attractive inappearance. They fulfill in a high degree all the requirements ofmatting on the floors of horse-cars, and in a great variety of othersituations where liberal spaces are required to receive dust, mud, snow,&c.

It has long been' common to make mats of this class by producinga greatnumberof equal rods of wood, boring them transversely at two or morepoints, and introducing a cord of cotton, manilla, or other :fibrousmaterial, with a button or equivalent piece of wood or other materialstrung on the cord between each rod and the next. I dispense with thebutton, 'and employa peculiar compound wire connection composed of asuiiiciently-strong spring, composed of hard brass or steel wire, whichexerts an expansive force to hold the rods properly apart. Within this Ienclose awire cord, composed, preferably, of three or more small wiresof hard brass, slightly twisted together. This exerts a tensile force toprevent a too great separation of the rods. A nail or equivalent pin isdriven transversely through the spiral spring at a point where itextends through a rod. This insures a reliable engagement of the springwith the rod, and causes each to maintain its place with greatpersistence. The mat presents a uniform and tastefulappearance.

The accompanying drawings form a part of 5o this specification, andrepresent what I con- 'of a portion on a larger scale.

sider the best means of carrying out the invention.

' Figure l is a general plan view, showing the mat extended for use.Fig. 2 is a plan View Fig. V3 is a 55 cross-section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thegures.

AA are rods or cylindrical sticks of wood. v They maybe pine. Each isbored transversely 6o at (La a. Through each hole a is inserted a spiralwire, B.

C are brads or other small nails driven through the wood of Atransversely to the spiral wire B. Each opens a space between two spans,and stands therein, rmly maintaining its position in the coils, and,except by the slight yielding of the coils elastically, it maintainseach rod A at a uniform distance from its neighbors on each side. 7o

D is a Wirecord composed of three or other number of iine wiresextending through the spiral B, and serving to hold the outermost of therods A reliably together. The rods A on each edge of the mat should bepartly or wholly of metal. The spiral wires B, and the wire cord D areboth strongly attached at each end to the corresponding rod. I haverepresented the attachment as being effected by soldering; but this maybe varied. The nsolder is marked M. The ends of the several rods A aretipped with thin metal caps A. They form a handsome finish, and preventthe material from being abraded, split, or otherwise injured at theends.

When my mat is exposed to use, the several rods A are held together bythe wire cords D, and are maintained at auniform distance apart by theelastic force of the coiled springs B. I prefer that these springs shallbe so produced that the metal of each coil shall be nearly in contactwith the metal of the adjacent coils,

there being only sufficient slack to allow the requisite iiexibility. yThe elastic force of the spiral wiresB should not be great, but itshould be exerted always in the direction to urge the rods A apart.

Modications may be made in the forms and proportions of thedetails. Ican mount the rods A wider apart, thus exposing a greater roo length ofthe spiral Wires B between each rod A and its adjacent correspondingrod, or I can mount the rods A nearer together, thus exposing less ofthe spiral wires B; but it is important to insure sufficient flexibilityto allow the mat to be easily rolled up.

Vhen my mat is Worn on one side, it can be turned over and used again;or the use of it may be alternately first one side up and then theother, so that the wear is commenced and proceeds on both faces aboutequally.

The invention may be Worked with some success with a single wire ofsteel or hard brass to serve the functions of' the flexible cord D. Ihave, in my experiments, used successfully what is known asolice-Wre7-such as is used in telegraphing and telephoning-beingcomposed of one copper Wire, with a covering of braided cotton yarns,saturated with parafiine, or some analogous material. I believe it maybe used without any such tie D; but I prefer a tie composed of a numberof fine wires, so as to give great flexibility.

I claim as my invention l 1. The improved m'atdescribed, composed of theparallel bars A, Spiral Wires B, and transverse nails or pins C,combined and arranged for joint operation, as herein specified.

2. The combination of' the parallel bars A, spiral Wires B, and tensilecords D, arranged to serve as herein specified.

3. A mat composed of parallel rods A, having transverse holes a, spiralwires B, flexible connections D, and fastenings M, combined and arrangedto serve as herein specified.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand, at New York city, this30th day of April, 1883', in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

R.- MARTINEZ.

lVitnesses:

EMIL GUTMANN, HENRY GOODMAN.

